ambush, King
muttered, "Hah!"

Kitty stood patiently waiting to be captured, and so Chief Opodeldoc
hissed between his teeth, "Hah! the time is ripe! Dash with me, oh,
Squaw, and let us nab the paleface!"

"Dash on! I follow!" said Marjorie, and with a mad rush, the two fierce
Indians dashed out from behind their bush, and captured the pale-faced
Maiden.

Kitty struggled and shrieked in correct fashion, while the Indians danced
about her, brandishing imaginary tomahawks, and shrieking moderately loud
warwhoops.

The terrified paleface was just about to surrender, when the noble young
Brave, Ipecacuanha, dashed forth, and sprang into the fray, rescuing the
maiden just in the nick of time. Holding the paleface, who lay limp and
gasping in his left arm, the young Indian madly fought the other two of
his own tribe with his strong right arm. Apparently he, too, had a
tomahawk, for he fearfully brandished an imaginary weapon, and did it so
successfully, that Opodeldoc and his faithful Squaw were felled to the
ground. Then the brave young Indian and the fair girl he had saved from
her dire fate danced a war dance round their prostrate captives, and
chanted a weird Indian dirge, that caused the fallen Chief to sit up and
roar with laughter.

"You children do beat all!" he exclaimed once more. "And, by jiminy
crickets! there goes the breakfast bell! Are you wild Indians fit to
appear in a civilized dining-room?"

"'Course we are!" cried Marjorie, jumping up and shaking her frills into
place. Kitty stood demurely beside her, and sure enough, the two girls
were quite fresh and dainty enough for breakfast.

"You see," explained Marjorie, "this wasn't a real tumble around play.
Sometimes when we play Indians, we lose our hair-ribbons and even tear
our frocks, but to-day we've behaved pretty well, haven't we, King?"

"Yep," assented her brother, looking at the girls critically, "you look
fine. Am I all right?"

"Yes," said Marjorie, as she smoothed down one refractory lock at the
back of his head. "We're all ready, Cousin Jack." She turned a smiling
face toward him, and remarking once again, "You do beat all!" the
ex-Chief marched his young visitors in to breakfast.

After that delightful and very merry meal was over, Cousin Ethel
announced that she would take charge of the two girls that morning, and
that King could share in their occupation or not as he chose.

"You see, it's this way, girlies," said Cousin Ethel, aft